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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Lil 14VII/1 — leikrinn

En að verðleikrinn vís á jörðu
vyrði sök til himna dýrðar,
boðorðið liet fram blíður drottinn;
býður þeim í skyldu að hlýða:
‘Eplið eitt eg banna að bíta
báðum ykkr, en þið munuð ráða,
deyja skuluð, ef efnið eigi
einfalt boð með dyggleik hreinum.’

En að verðleikrinn á jörðu vyrði vís sök til dýrðar himna, liet blíður drottinn boðorðið fram; býður þeim í skyldu að hlýða: ‘Eplið eitt banna eg ykkr báðum að bíta, en þið munuð ráða; skuluð deyja ef eigi efnið einfalt boð með dyggleik hreinum.’

And so that their merit on earth should become a sure basis for the glory of the heavens, the kindly Lord propounded the commandment; he commands them to obey dutifully: ‘One apple I forbid you both to take a bite of, but you may decide for yourselves; you must die if you do not keep the single command with pure fidelity.’

readings

[1] ‑leikrinn: ‑leikinn 99a, 705ˣ

notes

[1] verðleikrinn ‘their [lit. the] merit’: In the ON Eluc the Master uses this word to explain why God created the angels with free will: Fvr retlete at þeir mętte retta ombon taka fyr verþleic sinn. Ef þeir vere sua scapaþer at þeir mętte eige misgera. þa hefþe þeir enge verþleic viþ Goþ þuiat þeir gerþe sua sem nauþger gott ‘For the sake of justice, so that they could receive their just reward for their worth [verðleik]. Had they been created without the ability to sin, they would not have had any merit [verðleik] before God because they would have acted well only out of necessity’ (Eluc 1992, 12-13). This st. expresses the same rationale for human freedom.

grammar

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